This former British naval garrison is packed with lively bars serving up native Nova Scotian brews and live fiddle music.

The clean but creaky Waverley Inn (from $119) bares no resemblance to New York’s same-named bastion of fabulousness. But the 34-room hotelóreplete with antique beds, enormous windows, print wallpaper, and baked beans on the breakfast buffet—is perfectly placed just a ten-minute stroll from the pubs and clubs in the town center.

Even closer to the action, the smartly updated Halliburton (from $124) tacks a private garden and sundecks onto three historic townhouses a block from the waterfront. Rooms are exceptionally comfortable and decorated with well-chosen antiques; request number 113 for its working fireplace and skylight.

The closest thing in Halifax to a four-star business hotel, the Prince George Hotel (from $170) is centrally located near the Citadel, a mid-nineteenth-century British naval fort. After a boozy night out, let the midday firing of the fort's guns be your wake-up call.